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The Canton Mill sits in the middle of Canton, a city of about 4000 people on the banks of the Pigeon River, in western North Carolina, in the forested mountains. Paper is made from trees. Having a paper mill in the forest means that transportation costs for moving cut-down trees are low. Having a paper mill in the middle of a small city means that transportation costs for moving labor are low, too. Having a paper mill on a river means that transportation costs for moving waste used to be low, too. Things have changed some, but the past is still with us here.